Our Hockey Checklist

I've mentioned a few times that my granddaughter and I came up with a checklist to help us improve our game.  It's kind of a mish-mash of things, but important enough to need reminders.

The first five are fundamental skills that you want to make habits.

• Hold the stick correctly.
• Hockey stance.
• Hands out in front of the body.
• Bottom hand loose and slides when needed.
• Top hand controls the stick.  Rotate the wrist.

The next one is simple, but oh, so important.

• Tap the stick one-handed to build hand, wrist and forearm strength.

Drills can be frustrating at first, but keep practicing and you will get better fast.  Be creative!

• Ball or puck at the heel of the stick when stickhandling, for better control.
• Drill:  Around two pucks, then figure 8's.  Clockwise and counter-clockwise.
• Drill:  Stickhandle around the body: forehand, backhand, out front, in close, out wide, behind, etc.

These last two items are things to work on regularly.  They're important and will give you an edge on the ice.

• Saucer passing.
• Elevating the puck when shooting.

So that's our list.  What would you do different?  What did I miss?  Let me know in the comments, and thanks for your feedback.

Agility - Five Dot Drills

What is agility?  Here's the formal definition:

1.  The ability to move quickly and easily.
2.  The ability to think and understand quickly.

So there's physical agility and mental agility.  We're going to talk about the physical side here.

There are lots of agility drills out on the internet.  The "Five Spot" (AKA Five Dot) drill is one that I've seen used by hockey coaches and players.  To do the drills, you'll need to lay out the following pattern.

You can buy mats or carpets with the dots already there, or you can use chalk outside, or even bits of tape indoors.  The diagram below shows the standard layout, but for younger, smaller players, you can shrink it to fit their size (slightly wider than shoulder width).  Ideally, the spots should be four or five inches across.

So how do you use this pattern?

This .pdf page lays out the drills and time goals for the drills.  Clicking that link will open a file you can download for reference.

Here's an excellent video showing each exercise in action.

What Did I Get For My Twenty Five Bucks?

A while back I posted about buying a bunch of PVC at the local hardware store.  I got three ten-foot lengths of 3/4" pipe, a ten-pack of "T" joints, a ten-pack of 90 degree elbows, and four 45 degree elbows.  Total cost was not quite twenty five dollars.

So let's look to see what kind of hockey training aids I made for that investment.

My first project was a DIY Dangler.  The photo below shows the final pair I built, and next time I go to the hardware store I'll pick up another "T" so I can turn these two into a single piece twice as long - when I want to.



After the danglers, I tried a couple versions of a simple backstop so I could practice snap shots and saucer passing indoors without having pucks bouncing and ricocheting all over the room.   Below is the current version, which uses a beach towel draped over the frame.  So far, this is working well.  More details can be found here.



Next up was a mini-goal that I set in front of the above backstop.  I haven't done anything more than put the frame together for now, but it still provides a nice target when shooting or saucer passing.  There's no post about this one yet, but the idea is simple, use 90 degree elbows to connect 18" lengths of PVC pipe together into a sturdy unit.  The two pipes leading back from the base don't have to be 18" long, use what you have or what length would fit best for your setup.



Lastly, I put together this DIY version of a Fast Hands stickhandling training aid, using the awesome instructions by Mark Ivan.



Right now, everything is just press-fit together, and only the danglers are painted.  I already have PVC solvent from a previous project, so that wasn't included in the original cost.  Same for the spray paint.

As always, a reminder that all the cool toys in the world won't make you a better hockey player, if you don't use them.  Put in the work, and have fun doing it!

Stronger Grip - Farmer's Walks

The Farmer's Walk is a very simple exercise that will make your hands and forearms stronger.

The idea is simple.  Grab something heavy in each hand and walk as far as you can with it, until you have to set it down.  For instance, an adult could carry a couple of 5 gallon buckets full of sand or water.  If that's too much, try a cinder block or brick in each hand.  For a youngster, big cans of soup, small dumbbells or even large books would work.  It's easy to tailor the weight to something you can handle for 30 seconds or so, but heavy enough that at the end you really want to put it down.

Rest for a minute or so, then turn around, pick up the weights again, and walk back to where you started.

Farmer's Walks are great for your forearms too, and your back... actually, it pretty darn good for your entire body.

Two or three times a week is enough for this one.

Directions

So far, a lot of what I've posted has been about stickhandling.  The reason for that is simple, stickhandling is what I concentrated on the most when first starting out, mainly because it's a fundamental skill that I could practice at home.

Whether it's the strengthening exercises I've talked about, or the cool little toys that help keep practice fun (and I love the cool little toys), the primary emphasis has been on that basic skill.  To work on skating - and you should - you need ice time.  For shooting, you need some sort of goal or backstop.  For practicing your stickwork, you only need a stick and a ball or puck.

So yeah, we'll be branching out here soon enough.  I'll talk about some apps I've tried and like, and some store-bought training aids that I think are worth the money.  I'm just getting serious about shooting, so look for more about that too.

In the meantime, have fun.

DIY "Fast Hands" Stickhandling Training Aid

The Fast Hands Stickhandling Training Aid is very cool and allows a lot of creativity and variety as you practice.  In the video below, Mark Ivan shows how you can build your own version using 3/4" PVC.  His instructions are clear and simple, and you'll see step by step how to proceed.

I sat in my living room with a PVC cutter and parts, and created my own (just slip fit for now) in about a half hour.  Time well spent.



Mark gives all dimensions in the video, but here it is all listed out.  All the pieces are 3/4" PVC.

1 - 12" long
2 - 11" long
2 - 10" long
6 - 3 1/2" long
4 - 1" long

4 - "T" joints
4 - 45 degree elbows
2 - 90 degree elbows

Primer and solvent (optional)
Spray paint (optional)

A note about the primer and solvent, you'll find that you don't need much, so buying a can of each will give you enough for many, many projects.

Here's a great video showing you twenty five different drills you can do with your new training aid, and each drill is shown at full speed, then slowed down so you can see what's going on.  One thing to remember is that you don't have to stand still in front of it.  Try standing to one side or the other as you practice.  Move around it as you move the puck.  You can also pop the puck or ball over the top of the bar, so you can get used to thinking in 3D as you stickhandle.



Each flat side is numbered, with 1 on the left, going to 5 on the right.  This becomes helpful when you write down your favorite drills, so you can note which openings you're using.  I can see this becoming a kind of "HORSE" game with stickhandling sequences instead of shooting too.  Think Simon with a puck instead of flashing lights.

Finally, here's a video with stickhandling wiz Pavel Barber.  He stresses creativity and getting out of your comfort zone as you practice for maximum benefit.  The key here is not trying to go too fast for your skill level.  Speed will come as you improve, so don't frustrate yourself needlessly by trying to do too much too soon.

Hand, Wrist and Forearm Strength - Forearm Roll

This simple piece of exercise equipment will really give your wrists and forearms a workout.  Known as a Forearm Roll, you might be able to make your own with stuff you already have in your garage or shop.

If not, the materials are simple and cheap.  Get a 24" length of closet dowel or 1" PVC pipe.  It doesn't have to be exactly 24", but don't go too much shorter than that.  For a youngster, a leftover piece of that 3/4" PVC we've been using for other DIY projects will work great (use the thick wall schedule 40 type).

Tie a length of clothesline or thin rope to the dowel.  Paracord works well too.  The rope should be long enough to reach the floor when you hold your arms straight out in front of you.  Make the knot tight enough so that it doesn't slide around the dowel as you try to roll it up.  A strip of duct tape over the knot helps here.

On the other end of the rope, tie a weight of some kind.  You can use a dumbbell, a small bag full of sand, or a weight set plate like in the picture above.  Be creative if you have to, what the item is isn't really important.  Again, for the youngsters you can try a mesh bag that onions or oranges come in, filled with a can or two from the pantry.

To use, stand straight up and hold the dowel in both hands with your arms extended straight out in front you you.  Now, start to roll up the rope by turning the dowel in your hands.  As the dowel turns, it will take up the rope, which in turn will lift up the weight.



When you get to the top, turn the dowel in the opposite direction to lower the weight back to the floor.  Repeat two or three times.

This exercise really works the forearms.  Don't try to go too heavy with the weight, try something relatively light at first.